Project Summary The Forum on Drug Discovery, Development, and Translation provides a unique platform for dialogue and collaboration among thought leaders and stakeholders in government, academia, industry, foundations, and patient advocacy. The Forum brings together leaders from private sector sponsors of biomedical and clinical research, federal agencies sponsoring and regulating biomedical and clinical research, the academic community, and patients, and in doing so serves to educate the policy community about issues where science and policy intersect. The purpose is to encourage dialogue and discussion across sectors and institutions, and to illuminate issues, but not necessarily resolve them. The Forum membership identifies topics that it wishes to address, and with assistance from staff, develops public meetings, internal discussions, symposia, and collaborations. The Forum does not provide advice or recommendations on any specific issue or policy pending before any government agency; summary reports will result from the public conferences. The Forum convenes several times each year to identify and discuss key problems and strategies in the discovery, development, and translation of drugs. To supplement the perspectives and expertise of its members, the Forum also holds public workshops to engage a wide range of experts, members of the public, and the policy community. The Forum's public meetings focus substantial public attention on critical areas of drug development. Summaries of these meetings are disseminated to the public via printed reports and the internet. In addition to large public workshops, Forum activities include discussion series addressing biomedical science and policy, and public engagement in the drug development process, which provide opportunities to engage policymakers, opinion leaders, and the public in an informal setting. A combination of Forum members and outside experts comprise several workgroups that examine high-priority issues in depth. In addition, the Forum commissions or develops papers to undertake new research as well as synthesize existing literature and explore scientific and policy issues on selected topics. The Forum also fosters collaborations among its members and constituencies.